Chapter Sixteen
Nothing new happened the next day, except Michael and Gabriel leaving to study the tomes in the library in Elysium for any information they could find about entering realms. Luc and I were left to keep our own counsel.
We visited Mary again, the Voodoo. I took her our big screen TV and the gaming system Lucian had loved. Lucifer could've cared less about playing video games. "For the little boy," I said. "Not a payment. Just a gift. These things will be good to nobody soon, and I thought he might like them."
Lucian noticed the boy peeking out of the hallway. "Do you want to help me set it up?"
The little guy's eyes lit up as he nodded. Luc took his hand and looked at Mary for permission. "Go ahead," she said. "In the living room."
They got busy changing out the small, ancient television for the one we'd brought.
"Can we talk?" I asked.
She still seemed wary, even after helping me before. Maybe because Luc was with me and she knew exactly who and what he was.
Writing down the address of our home and the one Michael had used when he was human, I explained we'd be leaving soon. "It may be weeks to come, but these homes will be empty, and you're welcome to take anything inside." Then, I realized she might not have the means to go get the stuff or to rent a truck or have help with the items. "Shoot. Will you have help? Someone to load anything you want out of the house?"
She studied me carefully. "Why do you do this?"
It wasn't because I still hoped for her help. "Your aura. I've never met such a purely good human. I would help you any way I can, and I know you won't use magic to help yourself." Another idea popped into my head. "I'm going to leave here and we're going to leave the properties to you in a will. Our bodies will be found soon, and you'll be left the money we have in savings and our properties. You can sell them, keep them, give them to family, whatever you want to do."
She stared at me with skeptical eyes. "It seems too good to be true."
I laughed. "Based on your aura coloring, I think you may be descended from the children of my brother. I want to do this. These items are no good to me." The thought of my daughter drifted through my mind. I sucked in a deep breath and hoped the guys would agree with this. "I do have one favor."
She harrumphed. "I knew it."
"We have a daughter, Lucifer and I."
She nodded. "She's the only reason I initially agreed to help you."
"She's been kidnapped." I couldn't remember what all we'd told Mary before, either time she'd helped us. "By an Archangel."
She nodded. "I know all this."
"The problem is that we don't know if she's human. Or, purely human at least. If she's mostly human or has a human body, she will have to live on Earth when we get her back. Human bodies don't survive the entrance to Hell."
"I wondered about that," she said. "You want me to raise her?"
"Yes and no. Originally, I planned to let a human family raise her, but she's too vulnerable for that. I would like to have you live with her, yes. One or more of us would be around as much as possible, but we have duties to perform. There might be times none of us could be around."
Mary stood and walked over to her counter to an electric kettle. "Tea?" she offered.
"Sure, thanks." She put bags in two mugs and poured hot water over them.
A container of honey sat in a decorative glass in the middle of her table. I helped myself when she put the mug in front of me.
"I will help your daughter. When you find her, and if she must remain on Earth. If the need arises while she’s here." She sipped her tea as if what she'd said was nothing more than an observation on the weather.
My heart soared. "Thank you," I whispered. "Truly, you are a blessing."
"You planning on dying soon?" Mary asked with eyes far too shrewd.
"I hope to," I said. "That will solve half our problem if Lucifer and I can return to Hell. We can make sure Raphael never opens the gates."
She sipped her tea. "I have a lot to learn about the differences in the Fallen and the Angels."
"They aren't so great, not really. We have different jobs to do, for sure, but we all want the same thing. For humans to have good lives and gain entrance to Elysium. And thanks to the Fallen, humans have the free will to choose their paths."
